The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1887-03-06
THE RECEPTION TO STEVENS
Walt Jennings Account Of the
Brilliant Affair.

Walter Jennings. the well.known flyer
of the Salt Lake Bicycle Club, who is
now in Boston, in one of the largest
wooden mills, studying the fine points
in the art of dyeing cloth, cannot resist
being among "the boys as is evinced
by the following letter to friend in the
civ: I'm Chicago the
wheelmen have sixty-ive miles OF
boulevards to ride on, which are as
smooth and hard as our skating rink
floor. Think what paradise they are
in but they can not appreciate 1t.
Boston and vicinity IS really the
headquarters of cycling. Here the
roads are as good as they are in Chicago
but more billy. OF course that adds to
the pleasure of coastlng. Last night |
| attended reception given by our club
| to Thomas Stevens. (Sin,e l came
here 1 met Mr.. Peck, captain OF
the Massachusetts, Bicycle Club
and he has persuaded me to
join.) The club and club house are
considered the finest in the world. The
| club house is handsome brick build
ing ON Newbury street in the Back Bay,
| in the newest and most wealthy part OF
the city. 1t is not far from Trinity
Church, and adjoining the Z . IN Art
| Clubs building. The first floor OF the
building is used for the storage of mem
6ers' wheels. There is also place for
repairing and cleaning machines at the
back end of the room, The basement
is fitted up for a billiard room and
bowling alley. The second floor mas an
i I L.
hansome!y fitted up parlor in the
| front part and a large
room between the two, fitted up with
lockers for the members to keep uni
forms and other clothing in. In the
parlor there is a irst-class piano, plenty
of easy chairs to rest in after long
run, and from the large bay windows
one can look out upon the fine resi-
dences of the "back bay princes" The
third floor is fitted up with a well
equipped gymnasium, shower baths,
| bath tubs, etc. The chandeliers and all
the ornaments were designed specially
| for the club, and represent the
wheel" in all its shapes and forms. The
| building and its fittings must be seen to
be appreciated. Last night the rooms
were ablaze with electric lights which
tried in vain to outshine the beauty,
wit and fashion which had assembled
to pay tribute to the king. Of the wheel,
! Thomas Stevens. 1t looked as though
all the beautiful women of Boston had
taken a sudden interest in cycling
by. the way they kept focking into the
club house. to shake hands with
Stevens, Notwithstanding the storm
which was raging without. The men
| fairly outshone themselves with their
dress suits and that affability which is
so characteristic of all wheelmen GU.
The evening was spent in shaking
hands with Stevens, inspecting his hat
and the machine that accompanied
him on his perilous "trip, and listening
to the beautiful strains of music from
one of Boston's best orchestras.
Steven S wheel looks as if it had been
through the war; patched up with bits
of old iron, string and wire; bent
spokes, wornout pedals and brake, and
| bent handle-bars. 1t is quite Curl
osity shop, for on it you will find
piece of iron from Teheran, string from
China, and wire from some other
part of the world. His poor
old cork hat is pretty well dented in by
the rocks thrown at hima by the
heathens in China. He has used up no
less than six rubber tires on his trip. If
you want to see Stevens as he appeared
| last night, get some young, bronzed,
stout, hearty-lookiDg farmer, and dress
him up in a dress suit, and you will
have Thomas to t-y-t.